Emotional framing effects

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether emotion plays a critical role in framing effects. The research uses data from an experiment in which subjects were exposed to a policy frame using components intended to evoke emotional responses (e.g., High Emotion policy frame) or a policy frame using components not intended to evoke emotional responses (e.g., Low Emotion policy frame). After reading the message, subjects answered both open-ended and close-ended questions. An analysis of their responses demonstrates that High Emotion policy frames generate significantly more emotional responses among individuals than Low Emotion policy frames. Second, it demonstrates that there is a significantly stronger relationship between emotional issue interpretations and policy attitudes in response to a High Emotion policy frame than a Low Emotion policy frame. Third, it reveals that the emotional and cognitive responses evoked by emotional policy frames are not redundant predictors of attitudes. Fourth, using three models of emotional framing effects that differ based on the dimensions used to measure emotional responses, it shows that that individuals exposed to unfamiliar emotional policy frames use relatively more active processing when transforming their emotions into emotional issue interpretations than individuals exposed to a familiar frames. In sum, emotions play a critical role in framing effects.